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HomeMy WebLinkAbout99-02392 'to o '\ o 4':: ~ \. ~ ~ 'IC ~ '..... ;"':..~. '.' , .. .<::J ':'J' 0' "> ~ , ~ ~".'~' ..s. ,>~, ~ CHEMICAL TESTING WARNINGS AND REPORT OF 9909 '1 REFUSAL TO SUBMIT TO CHEMICAL TESTING AS AUTHORIZED BY OF THE VEHICLE CODE 611 (~ 54fPI,~c1IR-:S Rc= fUSED ~2't.t11 SECTION 1541 NAME MIDDLE SEX DATEOf' .,ATH WOI'iTH 5 STATE ZIP CODE LAST CORWIN (i) N. Ll bh Sf!;?E--- STA E CITY fJ (I 17337 SOCIAL SECUAITY NUMBER 4 1. PJeue be advised that you are now under arrest for driving under thelnnuence 01 alcohol or a controllod Jubltance purluantlo section 3731 of the Vehicle Code. uRI N f 2. I am requesting that you submit to a chemical lest of () (broath8@. Officer chooses the chemicallBII.) 3. II il my duty. as a police ollicer, to inform you that if you refuso to submit 10 e chemical teslyour operating priyjlege will be suspended tor a period 01 ons year. 4. a) The constitutional rights you have as a criminal defendant, commonly known as the Miranda Rights, including the right to speak with a lawyer and the right to remain silent. apply only to criminal prosecutions and do nol apply 10 the chomicallesting procedure under Pennsylvania', Implied Consent Law. which is a civil. nol a criminal proceeding. b) You have no righlto speak 10 a lawyer, or anyone else, before taking Ihe chemical lest requested by the police officer nor do you tlave a rig hi 10 remain silenl when asked by the police officer 10 submit 10 ttle ctlemicallesl. Unless you agree 10 submillO tho lest requesled by ttle police aHicer your conducl will be deemed to be refusal and your operating pdvilege will be suspended for one year. c) Your refusal 10 submillo chemicaltesling under the Implied Consent Law may be inlroduced inlo evidence in a criminal prosecution for driving while under the inlluence of alcohol or a controlled substance. J certify thai I have read the above warning to the m nily to submit to chemicallesting. Signature 01 Officer: I have been advised of Ihe above. Signature 0' Motorist: MOlonst relused to sign, alter being advised. . ~ / ) ._LL- / J1- SignatureofOfficer:'U'..t!I'.A1vr1 ~ Dale: Date: ~~/1'i AFFIDAVIT 1. The above molorisl was placed under arresllor driVing under the influence 01 alcohol or a controlled substance in violation of Seclion 3731 of the Vehicle Code, and Ihere wore reasonable grounds to believe lhallhe above mOlorist had been driving, operating or in actual physical control of Ihe movement of a motor vehicle while under the influence 01 alcohol or a controlled subslance or bOlh. or Thai the above named molorist was involved in an accident in which Ihe operator or passenger of any vehicle involved or a pedes Irian required treatment at a medical facilily or was killed. 2. The above molori~1 was requested 10 submit 10 chemicallesling as authorized by Section 1547 of the Vehicle Code. 3. The above motorisl was informed by a police officer of lhe chemicaltesl warnings contained in paragraph 3 and 4 above. 4. The aboVe named molorist refused to submillo chemical testing. OFFICER NOTE: The refusal 10 sign Ihls form I. nol a refuaallo submit to the chemical lei I. You mUll ,till give Ihe molorl,tln opportu. nlly 10 I.ke the chemlcl:Ilteslafter reviewing Ihls form. If the Indlvldull wu operating I commerciI I molor vehicle while having any alcohol or a controlled subst,nce In tholr system, you must olso completo the r.ve~ ~ 0' this '1rm:.J. / _ '/J. SUBSCRIBED AND SWORN . . OllicerSignature:~tJ1#1 ~ ~ Z TO BEF'ORE M . MO. DAY YEAIl o 1= t3 a: ~ o z Ollicer Name: W;9/r'RE/V ~C)rr Q?I?/l-'E,c lOlLS (Type arPrinl) S E A L /7-8 737-/S7d Mailing Address 2/9'1 t"l/~t./l/V r ::STREET CIJmp illU , jJ,4 J70// , Jurisdiclion:ClJmP HILL ft:f.lc t3 Badge Number: Pbone: ( 7/7) Forward to: Departmenl of Transportation Bureau of Driver Liconsing P.O. Box 60031 Harrisburg, PA 11106.0037 Nato: Any portinent lacts not covered by lhe alfidavil should be submitted On a separale sheet and auached here 10. That sheet should include lhe names 01 additional wilnesses necessary to prove the elements to which you have altested. ADDITIONAL SUPPLIES OF THIS FOHM MAV AE SECUPED BV COMPl.ETlNG FOAM OS.5~ 1A THIS FORM MAY BE DUPLICATED ',' .- I"',:. - v,. . qn 1111 "'; "'".) .,! -. (..... ',"1/. ., I..I'j., ..; CU;\,~;.:, '~I . _ ~J 0.' ~~y rd\~''.:0YL\.'.':.. ::\ " ';( "- '-I) -- r-: " [--; ~:~. .. - ) c ,., - u}c: - .' L'" , .' cit '': ::~ 2 '.I.,.: (1:- , . l'~ C~j ~ ".'1 U" .:;.::: G!:~ , . , 5 . 11J :g n.. I- -.., "- m ::J 0 0"'\ (J " . . .. ~ . . ~ RODNEY LYMAN CORWIN, PETITIONER IN THE COURT OF COMMON PLEAS CUMBERLAND COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA v. NO. 99-2392 COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA, : DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION, BUREAU OF DRIVER LICENSING, RESPONDENT LICENSE SUSPENSION APPEAL CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE I hereby certify that I am this day serving a copy of the Motion for Continuance upon the person, and in the manner, indicated below, which satisfies the requirements of the Pennsylvania Rules of Civil Procedure: By first class mail, prepaid, addressed to: Patrick F. Lauer, Jr., Esquire 2108 Market Street Camp Hill,PA 17011 Ge!:~ab~C Assistant Counsel Department of Transportation Riverfront Office Center 11 0 I South Front Street Harrisburg, P A 171 04-2516 (717) 787 -2830 DATE: July 21, 1999 RODNEY LYMAN CORWIN, Appellant IN THE COURT OF COMMON PLEAS OF CUMBERLAND COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA v. CIVIL ACTION - LAW LICENSE SUSPENSION APPEAL COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION, BUREAU OF DRIVER LICENSING, Appellee No. 99-2392 CIVIL TERM ORDER OF COURT AND NOW, this 6th day of October, 1999, upon consideration of Appellant's Appeal of License Suspension, and following a hearing at which the issue for determination by the Court was whether Appellant validly refused to submit to chemical tests of his blood and urine, Appellant's appeal is denied, and Appellee's suspension of Appellant's driving privilege by notice dated April 8, 1999, is affirmed. By the Court, Patrick F. Lauer, Jr., For the Appellant George Kabusk, Esquire For the Appellee Esquire ~""' ~ IO/'1/n ,& ,1', ,.-} (; ~.~: ( , '_I I" , 1 " , I .. " '-. " ;'I'. I..!l . :/) i:) 1./11 " .' , ::,i ,~. . ;,\ . .' I. ;, wcy .. ,. .. , :.1 ~ , " , \: "'\ " '>- \' ,) ) " , ) , ~. l 0- ~~ I~ t. ,- r-. ~ 'I ('. ... :!- ,.; ,) I...i} :1 , r> ,] , ~ .' t'" ~ ('" --:. :,., I:: t , -, , I~ . .. 4 " -- '~ ~ ell .., ci:t ~j j.. . ~. ~.. ~E u.9 ill:;: ~ Q.; ~ ~~ ~ ~:g - 'lI '3 g; ,J.. ~a:I=~ ~~:Er:: ~ ~ ~E ro U . , , . . , . . ., I '. . ~. .' , . . . '. , II : NO. '1"1.,) Y),L (:',;.Z/ '"L,_ I I I I. RODNEY LYMAN CORWIN, Appellant . . IN THE COURT OF COMMON PLEAS OF CUMBERLAND COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA : . . v. COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION, BUREAU OF DRIVER LICENSING, Appellee Appeal of Operators License Suspension - Chemical Test Refusal AND NOW this ORDER OF COURT ~ day of v1 po, i 1999, upon I ,. I t I I I consideration of the within APPEAL OF OPERATORS LICENSE SUSPENSION, it is hereby ordered that a hearing shall be held regarding this matter at on the q..a., day of (}../J r"~ 1999 at 1-: 3 0 a.m./p.m. in Courtroom No. / of the Cumberland County ~ Courthouse, Carlisle, Pennsylvania. A supersedeas is granted pursuant to Vehicle Code Section l550(b) (1) until such time that this honorable court resolves this appeal. BY THE COURT: J. Distribution: -PA Dept. of Transportation, Office of Chief Counsel, Room 103, Transportation & Safety Building, Harrisburg, PA 17120 -Patrick F. Lauer, Jr., Esq., 2108 Market st., Camp Hill, Pa 17011 .......'..\"1.-. ',':;._1 ~ 1~/~ lJ" ,,- ," " 1.1'" ~.),; . ..~ ::". I ;: ~. :.j:) E.~:Z 1H ( ." ".- J(,(.o:.I:,o )..'dv'lG'.'.:. ~:~" ':':,.:'.~U :!O ;:;::l:'0'Cj~lI:J ROONEY LYMAN CORWIN, Appellant IN THE COURT OF COMMON PLEAS OF CUMBERLAND COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA . . NO. 1')- J j9.2 (~(:'Li: ..,.... 1.(..- v. . . COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION, BUREAU OF DRIVER LICENSING, Appellee Appeal of Operators License Suspension - Chemical Test Refusal APPEAL OF LICENSE SUSPENSION AND NOW comes the Appellant, Rodney Lyman Corwin, by and through his attorney, Patrick F. Lauer, Jr., Esquire, and respectfully avers the following: 1. Appellant resides at 381 North 48th Street, Harrisburg, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania 17111. 2. The Appellant received a notice dated April 8, 1999 that, as a result of his alleged violation of Pennsylvania Vehicle Code Section 1547, Chemical Test Refusal, his driving privilege was being suspended for a period of one year, effective suspension date May 13, 1999, at 12:01 a.m. A true and correct copy of the Notice is attached as Exhibit "A". 3. The Appellant submits that the police officer lacked a reasonable basis to request Appellant to submit to a chemical test. 4. The Appellant submits that he did not intelligently and voluntarily refuse to submit to a chemical test. EXHIBIT A . ,..' ...,,' . . ,M' . . . . COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Bureau ot Driver Licensing Harrisburg, PA 17123 APRIL 08, 1999 [ RODNEY CORWIN 361 N 46TH STREET 990916114546709 001 04/01/1999 22471764 05/16/1969 HARRISBURG PA 17111 Dear Motorist: As a result ot your violation ot Section 1547 ot the Vehicle Code, CHEMICAL TEST REFUSAL on 03/21/1999, your driving privilege is being SUSPENDED tor a period of 1 YEAR(S). In order to comply with this sanction you are required to return any current driver's license, learner's permit andlor temporary driver's license (camera card) in your possession no later than the effective date listed. It yoU cannot comply with the requirements stated above, you are required to submit a DL16LC Form or a sworn affidavit stating that you are aware of the sanction against your driving privi- lege. Failure to comply with this notice shall result in this Bureau referring this matter to the Pennsylvania State Police for prosecution under SECTION 1571(a)(4) of the Ve- hicle Code. Although the law mandates that your driVing privilege is under suspension even if yoU do not surrender your license, Credit will not beqin until all current driver's lic..nse product(s), the DL16LC Form, or a letter aCknOWledging your sanction is received in this Bureau. WHEN THE DEPARTMENT RECEIVES YOUR LICENSE OR ACKNOWLEDGE- MENT, WE WILL SEND YOU A RECEIPT. IF YOU DO NOT RECEIVE THIS RECEIPT WITHIN 15 DAYS CONTACT THE DEPARTMENT IMMEDIATELY. OTHERWISE, YOU WILL NOT BE GIVEN CREDIT TOWARD SERVING THIS SANCTION. The effective date of suspension is 05/13/1999, 12:01 a.m. ******************************************************************** IWARNING: If you are convicted for driving while your license is I Isuspended, the penalties will be: not less than 90 days imprison-I Iment and a 1,000 fine and an additional 1 year suspension, I ******************************************************************** I N D E X T 0 \</ I T N E S S E S FOR COMMONWEALTH DIRECT CROSS REDIRECT RECROSS Warren Cornelious 4 16 FOR THE APPELLANT DIRECT CROSS REDIRECT RECROSS Rodney Corwin 21 28 31 Richard Corwin 34 *********************************************** I N D E X TOE X H I BIT FOR THE COMMONWEALTH No. 1 - DL-26 form MARKED 3 ADMITTED 16 FOR THE APPELLANT None 2 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 October 6, 1999 Courtroom No. 1 9:33 a.m. (Whereupon, Commonwealth's Exhibit No.1 was marked for identification.) MR. LAUER: Morning, Your Honor. THE COURT: Good morning. This is the time and place for a license suspension appeal hearing in the case of Corwin v. Commonwealth of Pennsvlvania, Deoartment of Transoortation at No. 99-2392 CIVIL TERM. We will let the record indicate that the Appellant is present in court with his counsel, Patrick F. Lauer, Jr., Esquire. The Commonwealth is represented today by George Kabusk, Esquire. Are counsel ready to proceed? MR, LAUER: We are, Your Honor. The only thing I want to do for the record is, we are going to withdraw the issue on whether or not tnere was a reasonable r 18 basis to have requested it. The only issue from your point 19 would be as to whether or not the Defendant's actions 20 constitute a refusal. 21 THE COURT: All right. 22 MR. KABUSK: Your Honor, if we could have 23 leave to go into some of that to make the complete story, 24 we won't dwell on it. 25 THE COURT: To the extent that it's relevant 3 --- 1 to the issues, you may. 2 MR. KABUSK: Yes, Your Honor. We're ready 3 to proceed then, Your Honor. By official notice dated and 4 mailed April 8th, 1999, the Department of Transportation 5 notified the motorist, operator's number 22471784, that as 6 a result of his violation of Section 1547 of the Vehicle 7 Code, chemical test refusal, on 3/21/99, his driving 8 privilete was being suspended for a period of one year. 9 The Department now calls Officer Cornelious. 10 Whereupon, 11 WARREN SCOTT CORNELIOUS 12 having been duly sworn, testified as follows: 13 DIRECT EXAMINATION 14 BY MR. KABUSK: 15 Q Officer Cornelious, please state your name 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 and spell your last name. A My name is Warren Scott Cornelious. C-o-r-n-e-I-i-o-u-s. Q And where are you employed? A I'm currently employed as a uniform patrol officer in the Borough of Camp Hill, Cumberland County. Q During the course of your official duties, have you had an occasion to investigate an alleged incident of DUI on or about March 21st of 1999? A Yes, I have. 4 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 r- Q Could you tell the Court about that incident? A It was Sunday, March 21st, 1999, at or about 3:26 a.m. I was in front of the Sheetz store located at 1715 Market Street in the Borough of Camp Hill, Cumberland County, completing a traffic stop with an earlier violator, at which time I heard a vehicle that seemed to be traveling westbound squealing his tires, and the vehicle then crested the hill. And it was noted that the vehicle at that time was straddling the center line of the roadway. As it crested the hill, as I stated, it was squealing the tires. The vehicle then moved right back into its proper lane of travel as it passed me, and continued to travel westbound on Market Street. At that time I got back into my patrol car, negotiated a three-point turn on the roadway, and began accelerating in an attempt to catch up to that vehicle. I was able to catch up to the vehicle in the 2000 block of Market Street to approximately four car lengths, and began pacing it utilizing the digital speedometer on the patrol car that I was assigned that evening, which was car four, which was tested by Raybold Service Center. I continued to follow that vehicle westbound, and once in the 2600 block of Market Street, the vehicle drifted left and began straddling the center line 5 1 of the roadway. At that time I had followed the vehicle 2 four-tenths of a mile, and it was determined that it was 3 traveling 43 miles per hour in a properly posted 25 4 mile-per-hour speed zone. I then activated my emergency 5 warning lights in an attempt to stop the vehicle. 6 The vehicle then activated its turn signal 7 and negotiated a right turn to begin traveling south on 8 South 27th Street. South 27th Street, in that block, is a 9 one-way roadway going north. At that time I activated my 10 siren and went down South 27th Street after the vehicle, 11 and it did eventually yield my warning and come to a stop 12 on the crosswalk and the roadway located on South 27th 13 Street at Chestnut Street. 14 I then approached the driver's side of the 15 vehicle and requested the driver to exhibit his driver's 16 license, registration, and insurance card. The driver 17 began to remove his driver's license from the wallet in 18 which it was stored, and it was noted that his actions were 19 slow and deliberate, and he was having difficulty grasping 20 the document. 21 The driver even dropped his wallet onto the 22 driver's side floorboard and was having difficulty 23 picking-- 24 MR. LAUER: I'm going to object to all of 25 this because we agree there was a reasonable basis to 6 2 THE COURT: Mr. Kabusk. I'. ~,>; I; ,:,~, I'; r,o i',- r t." ~. "'.. f P r 1'. ~ '<. , ' t, r:; 1 request. 3 MR. KABUSK: Well, I believe some of this is 4 relevant, if he's contending that there was no refusal. 5 I'd like to get out some facts regarding the state of the 6 motorist. 7 THE COURT: All right. 8 THE WITNESS: Mr. Corwin then did reach down 9 and was having difficulty picking up his wallet, but he was 10 eventually able to do that, and provided me with his 11 Pennsylvania driver's license, and was identified from that 12 document as Rodney Corwin. The gentleman is seated to the 13 left of Mr. Lauer today. 14 Mr. Corwin then advised me that he needed to 15 shut his vehicle off since his registration and insurance 16 card was in his glove box, which was locked. He proceeded 17 to turn his vehicle off, remove the key, and was having 18 difficulty putting the key into the key hole to unlock the 19 glove box. As Mr. Corwin spoke, I could detect an odor of 20 an alcoholic beverage emanating from him, and noticed that 21 his eyes were bloodshot and glassy in appearance. His 22 voice was raspy, and his speech was slurred. 23 He was then able to get his registration 24 card from the glove box and provided it to me. When asked 25 where he was coming from this evening, Mr. Corwin advised 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 me that he was coming from New Cumberland. When asked how much he had to drink this morning, Mr. Corwin advised that he had consumed a few beers. I then requested Mr, Corwin step from the vehicle so that I could administer the standardized field sObriety tests to him. He did comply with my request. And even out of the vehicle, I could still detect an odor of an alcoholic beverage emanating from him, I proceeded to administer the standardized field sobriety tests with the following results. While administering the horizontal gaze nystagmus, I noted-- MR. LAUER: THE COURT: MR. KABUSK: Objection to HGN test. Mr. Kabusk. Your Honor, I'm going-- I would request leave that he may testify to it regarding the reason why he asked for the test. MR. LAUER: Which I think he's laid a foundation, Your Honor, why he asked for it. He smelled the odor of alcohol and the driving. But the results of the HGN, I would submit, there's no foundation, number one, being unreliable; two, I already submitted that he had probable cause or reasonable basis to have stopped him. He's had a reasonable basis to request him to do it. I don't think there's any basis-- I don't 8 1 care if he gets in the other field sobriety tests, which I 2 think is not relevant, but specifically the HGN test, I 3 would object to, 4 THE COURT: Mr. Kabusk. 5 MR, KABUSK: It goes to his reasonable basis 6 of why he asked for a particular test. He asked, if you'll 7 note, it will later come out that he asked for blood and 8 urine test, and I would like to lay a foundation why he 9 asked for both tests. 10 THE COURT: Mr. Lauer, you're not contesting 11 the request for the test? 12 MR. LAUER: No, sir. 13 THE COURT: Given that, I don't think it's 14 necessary, Mr. Kabusk. 15 MR. KABUSK: Okay. 16 THE COURT: Unless some part of the refusal 17 has to do with the form of the test requested. 18 MR. LAUER: No. 19 MR. KABUSK: I didn't know what his issue 20 was. I just wanted to lay a foundation of why the two 21 tests were requested. 22 THE COURT: There's no argument being made 23 that two tests should not have been requested, Mr. Lauer? 24 MR. LAUER: No, sir. 25 THE COURT: All right. 9 1 , ~ . 1 BY MR. KABUSK: 2 Please proceed. Q .i 3 A I then administered the walk and turn test 4 to Mr. Corwin, and I noted that he could not keep his 5 balance. He started the test too soon. He missed 6 heel-to-toe on the way out between steps two, three; and on 7 the way back, between steps seven, eight. During the !~ 8 one-leg stand test, I noticed Mr. Corwin swayed from 11 to 9 21 seconds, and 21 to 30 seconds. I noted that he raised , . , 10 his arms, as to if to balance, between 11 to 21 seconds, 11 and 21 to 30 seconds. 12 I noted that he hopped between 11 to 21 13 seconds. And I noted that he placed his foot down once 14 between 0 to 10 seconds, once between 11 to 21 seconds, and ~ 15 twice between 21 to 30 seconds. 16 I also noted during that test that Mr. 17 Corwin counted repetitively. Upon completion of the 18 standardized field sobriety tests, Mr. Corwin had shown 19 signs of intoxication on all of the tests that I 20 administered to him, leading me to believe that he could 21 not safely operate a motor vehicle. 22 And at or about 0340 hours, 3:40 a.m., I did 23 place him under arrest for DUI, handcuffed him, and placed 24 him in the rear of my patrol car. Mr. Corwin was then 25 transported to the Harrisburg Hospital, where he would be 10 1 requested to submit to a chemical test of his blood and of 2 his urine. Upon arrival at the Harrisburg Hospital, we 3 were placed in the emergency room waiting area to await 4 registration. 5 Registration took approximately 35 minutes 6 that morning since the hospital was really busy. And after 7 about 10 to 15 minutes, Mr. Corwin became belligerent with 8 me and requested to get a drink of water. I advised Mr. 9 Corwin that I could not permit him to get a drink of water 10 until after I had obtained the chemical test, and then he 11 would be able to get a drink of water. And this seemed to 12 infuriate him, and he continued his belligerent, abusive 13 behavior, and even continued-- and even started to shove 14 me, at which time two Harrisburg officers then came over to 15 to assist me. 16 And several other patients that were waiting 17 in the emergency room were forced to get up out of their 18 seats and move to another location. Security then placed 19 us into the family room or the quiet room of the hospital 20 to await registration. After approximately 35 minutes, 21 about 4:34 a.m., we were registered into the Harrisburg 22 Hospital by the receptionist. 23 Upon completion of the registration process, 24 we were placed in the First Place Health Clinic of the 25 hospital to await the arrival of a staff technologist to 11 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 withdraw the blood and the urine. After a short period, the staff technologist, Jennifer Smith, did come into the First Place Health Clinic where Mr. Corwin was requested to submit to the chemical test of his blood and of his urine. o Officer, how was he requested to submit? A I advised Mr. Corwin that I needed-- or I would like to have him submit to a chemical test of his blood and of his urine. o You told him that? A Yes, I did. o What was your reason for asking for both a blood and a urine test? A The blood was for the legal blood alcohol for alcohol only. And with the indicator that I observed on the horizontal gaze nystagmus, thus being the vertical gaze nystagmus, that's indicative, based on my training-- MR. LAUER: Objection to that, Your Honor. He's not qualified to give an opinion as to what that HGN test is or what it meant. I've already agreed that he had-- for whatever reason, he could look for a urine or blood. THE COURT: Mr. Kabusk, with that 23 stipulation, do you need to obtain an opinion as to the 24 result? 25 MR. KABUSK: No, Your Honor. 12 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 """ "--, BY MR. KABUSK: o Then what happened? A Mr. Corwin again became argumentative with me, and advised me that he wanted a drink of water. And I again instructed him that he could not obtain water until after I obtained a chemical test. He then advised me that he was not going to submit to the chemical test, which triggers the O'Connell warnings from the DL 26 form. I removed the DL 26 form from my clipboard, filled out Mr. Corwin's information, and then read it to him in the presence of Jennifer Smith. MR. KABUSK: May I approach the witness, Your Honor? THE COURT: Certainly. BY MR. KABUSK: o I'm going to show you what's marked Commonwealth's Exhibit No.1. Would you identify what that is? A Yes, this is a copy of the DL 26 form with my information that I filled out for Rodney Corwin on March 21st, 1999. Q You stated that you read the DL 26 to him? A Yes, I did. Q Would you read aloud what you read to the motorist? 13 ~- 1 A Yes. Please be advised-- 2 THE COURT: Could you read slowly for the 3 stenographer? 4 THE WITNESS: Sure, Your Honor. I'm Borry. 5 Please be advised that you are now under arrest for Driving 6 under the Influence of alcohol or a controlled substance 7 pursuant to Section 3731 of the Vehicle Code. I am 8 requesting that you submit to a chemical test of your 9 blood/urine. I advised him, and I filled in blood and 10 urine, and circled blood and urine. 11 It is my duty, as a police officer, to 12 inform you that if you refuse to submit to the chemical 13 test, your operating privilege will be suspended for a 14 period of one year. The constitutional rights you have as 15 a criminal Defendant, commonly known as the Miranda rights, 16 including the right to speak with a lawyer and the right to 17 remain silent, apply only to a criminal prosecution and do 18 not apply to the chemical testing procedure under 19 Pennsylvania's Implied Consent Law, which is a civil not a 20 criminal proceeding. 21 You have no right to speak to a lawyer or 22 anyone else before taking the chemical test requested by 23 the police officer nor do you have the right to remain 24 silent when asked by the police officer to submit to the 25 chemical test. Unless you agree to submit to the chemical 14 ; ~ ~ 1 test requested by the police officer, your conduct will be 2 deemed to be a refusal, and your operating privilege will 3 be suspended for one year. 4 Your refusal to submit to the chemical 5 testing under the Implied Consent L~w may be introduced 6 into evidence in a criminal prosecution for driving while 7 under the influence of alcohol or a controlled substance. S I certify that I have read the above warning to the 9 motorist regarding the suspension of their operating 10 privilege and gave the motorist an opportunity to submit to 11 the chemical test. I then signed and dated the form. 12 BY MR. KABUSK: 13 Q After you read that, what happened? 14 A Mr. Corwin again became argumentative with 15 me, this time advising that I could not deny him a right to 16 speak with a lawyer and I could not deny him an opportunity 17 to get a drink of water, and he was not going to submit to 1S the test. I then presented the form to Mr. Corwin for his 19 signature, and he reiterated that he was not going to sign 20 the form. 21 I then took the form back from Mr. Corwin 22 after he read it, signed that he had refused to sign the 23 form, and then I again asked him, having these consequences 24 in mind, would you like to submit to the chemical test? 25 Mr. Corwin again advised me that he would not submit to the 15 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 BY MR. LAUER: 21 22 23 24 25 '""" ~ test, and it was noted to be a refusal. MR. KABUSK: May I approach the witness, Your Honor? THE COURT: Certainly, MR. KABUSK: I provided a copy of Commonwealth's Exhibit No. 1 to the attorney for Mr. Corwin. I move for the admission of Commonwealth's Exhibit No.1. MR. LAUER: THE COURT: No objection, Your Honor. All right. Commonwealth's Exhibit 1 is admitted. (Whereupon, Commonwealth's Exhibit No.1 was admitted into evidence.) BY MR. KABUSK: Q Did the motorist submit to a chemical test? A No, he did not. MR. KABUSK: No further questions. THE COURT: Mr. Lauer. CROSS EXAMINATION Q Sir, I take it, the probable cause you used was to basically refresh your recollection, correct? A Yes. Q Is everything in there true and correct? A Yes. 16 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 ,.-. Q You indicatcd that my clicnt was wearing some kind of black coat over a black t-shirt, correct? A Yes, he was wearing an Advanced Auto Parts bascball cap, a black jacket over a black t-shirt, a pair of black jeans, and black boots. Q Isn't it true, in fact, sir, that he had a blue jean jacket on, and it was not a black coat? A No, that's not true. Q So the videotape at the Booking Center, if he doesn't have a black coat on, your testimony about that would be wrong, I guess, correct? A He had a black coat on at the scene. Q Okay. Well he can't change-- when he got out of the car, he didn't go back into the car to get a different coat on, correct? A No, he did not. Q So if the videotape, which is down in the DA's office, shows a different coat on, then your testimony about what he was even wearing would be wrong, correct? A (No response.) Q If he had this coat on in the video, your testimony about what he was even wearing would be wrong, would you agree with that? MR. KABUSK: Your Honor, I object to the relevance of the questioning of the color of the coat. 17 ..... r, 1 f 1 MR, LAUER: It goes to, Judge, everything 2 that he's testifying to as to his credibility. It's what 3 the case comes down to, his word versus my client's word, 4 He wrote up an affidavit right after this incident, what he 5 was specifically wearing. We would submit that the 6 videotape will show that that is not even true, which goes 7 to the whole basis of this case. ',( 8 THE COURT: You may ask the question. We , 9 should let the record indicate that, Mr. Lauer, you are 10 holding up a blue-- 11 MR. LAUER: Blue jean jacket. 12 ,1;. THE COURT: -- blue jean jacket, okay. 13 BY MR. LAUER: 14 Q The video is in the DA's office, and we can 15 go down and get it. If it shows he had a jacket on like 16 this, your testimony about what he was even wearing would 17 be wrong, would you agree with that? 18 A Yes, if he had that jacket on, it would be 19 wrong, because I recall a black jacket. 20 Q In fact, you wrote up what he was supposed 21 to be wearing on the affidavit right after the arrest, 22 correct? 23 A Yes, I do my report after the arrest. 24 Q Okay. Now is it anywhere in your affidavit 25 of probable cause that my client attempted to shove you? 18 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 ----- ,~ A No, it's not. o Is it in any of your criminal reports? A Yes, it is. o You did not charge him with harassment or an attempted assault, correct? A No, I didn't. o Now you testified that you read him this DL 26 form, correct? A Yes. o Who was present when you read that to him? A Jennifer Smith, the staff technologist. o You didn't subpoena her to come for this hearing, did you? A I don't know if Mr. Kabusk did or not. I don't see her here, no. o Okay. Now isn't it true, you told my client, Mr. Corwin, that, in fact, he had to sign this form; otherwise, he was going to go to jail? A No. 0 You never said that to him at all? A No. 0 Is it true that after you read it to him, he said, look, okay, I'll take the test, and you went, no, sorry, it's too late? A No, that's not true at all. 19 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 --- ,..... o Isn't it true that at some point in time though, it came up that he told you that he was afraid of needles? A I don't recall that specifically from Mr. Corwin, no. o Let's see if you recall this. Isn't it true then that you asked him to take off his coat to see if he had any tattoos? Do you recall that happening at the police station? A Sir, he was never taken to the police station. o Okay. All right. Were you with him at the Booking Center? A No, I take him over and drop him off, and then I leave. o Were you present when another officer asked to see if he had any tattoos? A No, sir. Q Okay. You were present at the Booking 20 Center for a period of time, isn't that true? 21 A Yeah, I take him over, I drop him off. The 22 booking agent searches them. I provide them with the 23 necessary information for the arrest report that I have; 24 i.e., incident number, driver'S license information. Then 25 I leave. 20 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 --.. .-- Q What was the address on his driver's license? A I don't recall. Q Isn't it true that the address that you have on here for Lewisberry was not the address that was even on his driver's license? A I don't recall, sir. Q Okay. MR. LAUER: That's all the questions I have of this officer. THE COURT: MR. KABUSK: THE COURT: Mr. Kabusk. No further questions. All right, You may step down. Thank you, MR. KABUSK: That is all the direct evidence the Commonwealth wishes to present. THE COURT: Mr. Lauer. MR. LAUER: Your Honor, could I call my client to the witness stand, please? THE COURT: Sure. Whereupon, RODNEY CORWIN having been duly sworn, testified as follows: DIRECT EXAMINATION BY MR. LAUER: 21 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 --- Q Mr. Corwin, would you state your name and spell your last name? A Rodney Corwin. CoO-RoW-IoN. Q Rodney, on the night that you were stopped by the police officer, tell the judge, number one, what your medical condition was or physical condition was? A I was very sick that night. I had bad bronchitis and a head cold, I was on medication for-- I take medication for anxiety and an over-the-counter Contact medicine and liquid cold medicine. Q Had you had anything to drink earlier? A As I told the officer, yes-- he asked me if I had anything to drink that night, and I told him I had two beers at 9:00 that evening. Q Okay. So when the officer said you told him, you had a few, that was not correct, it was only two? A Two. Q Ana was this the jacket that you were wearing that night? (Mr. Lauer was displaying a jacket.) A Yes. Q And were you videotaped at the Booking Center? A Yes, I was. 24 Q So when the officer put in his affidavit, 25 swore under oath that you were wearing some type of black 22 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 --. ,-- coat, that was not correct? A That's not correct. Q What else was incorrect, if you recall, at all, in the affidavit of probable cause? A Well, he had some-- put other charges on there. I was always told, when you get pulled over, pull over immediately. And I realized r was on a wrong-way street, but being at 3:30 in the morning, there was nowhere to park on the Main Street, so I just made that quick turn and pulled over as soon as possible, which happened to be a crosswalk, and he charged me with that. And he had some other charge in there about visual-- I don't know what it's called. Q Well, I'll come back to that. A Blocked vision or something. Q When you're going down Market Street, okay, you went past Sheetz, correct? A Yes. Q A Q A Q Okay. Were your tires squealing? No. Could you have possibly been speeding? I possibly could have been. Were there-- when you go down Market Street, 24 you can't park on the right-hand side of the road, correct? 25 A Correct. 23 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 .-.., "... 0 So there's really no place to park except right on the Main Street, correct? A Exactly. MR. KABUSK: Your Honor, I thought there was a stipulation regarding the reasonable grounds. I was requested to refrain from going into the facts of that, and now he seems to be going into the very same questioning that I was asked to refrain from going into. MR. LAUER: Which is what I wanted to do, and they just wanted to keep on going so-- I'm not going to get into it long, Judge. They brought it up. THE COURT: I think this is just a follow-up on the questious that were asked, BY MR. LAUER: Q When you made the left onto the one-way street, how far did you go down once you made that left? A As soon as I could pullover, I did, which happened to be at the crosswalk, at the end of the street. Q There's no cars on the road, correct? A Excuse me? Q There were no other cars on the road, as far as traffic? A No, they were all parked. Q When you were taken into custody after the field sobriety tests, even at the field sobriety tests, did 24 ,-- he ask you if you were on any medication or any illness at the time when you were doing those tests? A No. Q As far as when you were taken back into custody by the officer, tell the judge what happened when you were taken to the hospital? 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 A When we got to the hospital, he advised me I 8 was there for a blood test. And I told him that I have a 9 phobia of needles, and I would gladly take a breathalyzer, 10 you know, urine sample, anything. And he refused, and he 11 then said-- he showed me some kind of a paper. He said, 12 sign this paper. I said, I'm not signing anything until I 13 talk to an attorney. He said, you're not talking to 14 anybody. I said, well, why can't I speak to an attorney? 15 He then angrily said, because I said so. 16 And again, he was like, what's a public 17 defender going to do about it anyway? And he was very rude 18 to me. So, again, he asked, he said, if you don't sign 19 this paper, you're going to jail. And I didn't want to go 20 to jail, I just wanted to go home. I said, fine, I'll sign 21 it and take the test. He said, no, too late, you're going 22 to jail. 23 Q Now the officer just testified here under 24 oath that it took him at least a minute or two reading all 25 of these paragraphs, one through four, and then a, b, and 25 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 ...., ,.-- c, Did he read to you? A No, he didn't. o From a form? A No, he did not, He tried to hand me the paper, and he just said, sign this. o When you got to the hospital, is it your testimony that basically-- well, first of all, did you see this form filled out with the top information at all? A No. o You didn't see anything typewritten out on there at all? A No, I didn't. o Is it your testimony, you recall the officer saying, sign this form? A Yes. o Was the form even put into your hand? A No. I said I would not sign it, and he just took it away then and said, you're going to jail. o Okay. And then you said, I don't want to go to jail, I'll sign it? A Exactly. o And then back again, sir, there was no time did he tell you that you were going to lose your license for 12 months? A No, he did not. 26 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 ~ ~ Q Did he tell you it would be suspended for any period of time? A No. Q What was the biggest concern of the officer when you were at the hospital initially? A To get me to sign that form to take my blood or else take me to jail. That's all he was worried about, Q He did mention going to jail? A Oh, yes, several times. Q When yo~ came to my office initially after you were charged with the DUI, did you fill out a form for me and write that information up? A Yes, I did. Q And did he actually tell you that he wanted to take urine from you as-- and blood? A He just said that he wanted the blood. Q Okay. You had no prior DUI's on your record, correct? A No. Q The officer testified here under oath that you attempted to shove him? A That is not true. Q Did you push at him or do anything like that at all? A Nothing. Never even came close to touching 27 ~ ~ 1 him. 2 Q I mean, he had a gun on and all that stuff? 3 A Yeah, exactly, and he was trying to be very 4 intimidating to me, He was talking down to me. 5 Q He said that you were belligerent. How were 6 you belligerent? 7 A I guess because I asked to speak to an 8 attorney. That really upset him. He said, like I had said 9 before, what's a public defender going to do about it? He 10 was just very rude. 11 Q The officer, when he just testified that 12 there was a nurse present when he read all this information 13 to you, was the nurse standing right there? 14 A No, she had come in to take blood, and when 15 I said I wouldn't sign the paper, that was it. He just 16 snapped and said, you're going to jail. And she left the 17 room. And he took me away. 18 MR. LAUER: That's all the questions I have, 19 Your Honor. 20 THE COURT: Mr. Kabusk. 21 CROSS EXAMINATION 22 BY MR. KABUSK: 23 Q Mr. Corwin, do you recall being stopped by a 24 police officer on March 21st, 1999? 25 A Yes. 28 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 ""'"' ,.. o Do you recall being placed under arrest for DUI? A Yes. o Do you recall being handcuffed and transported to the Harrisburg Hospital? A Yes. o Do you recall being requested to submit to a chemical test? A No. His exact words were, sign this paper, so we can take blood. That's what he said. o You're saying, he never asked you to take a test? of paper. said, no, A No. o What are you saying? A I'm saying, he tried to hand me that piece He said, sign this so you can give blood. And I because I wanted to speak to an attorney. And he said, no. o Do you recall being warned of the consequences of refusing to submit to a chemical test? A No. Q Do you recall being provided any warnings regarding your Miranda rights or that you have no right to speak to an attorney or something like that? A No. 29 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 1""'\ r o Did you submit to a chemical test? A No. o Now YOll admitted earlier that you were on medicines and-- is that true? A Yes. o And you also admitted that you had been drinking earlier, is that true? A Yes. Q Did you tell the officer that you had any sort of medical conditions? A I believe I did, yes. I told him I was very sick that day. It was two blocks from where I was spending the night. And he didn't want to hear it. Q Now did you submit to a chemical test? A No. Q Did you tell the officer you were not going to submit to a chemical test? A No. Q You did not tell him you wanted to speak to an attorney? A Yes. Q You told him that? A Yes. Q Did you tell him that you wanted to speak to an attorney before you submitted to the test? 30 .~~ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 ......., ,-- A Q A Q No, I said, before I sign anything. Did you tell him you had a fear of needles? Yes. Do you recall the officer reading to you the DL 26 form, which he read earlier during his testimony? A No. MR. KABUSK: No further questions. THE COURT: Mr. Lauer. MR. LAUER: Just a few, Your Honor. REDIRECT EXAMINATION BY MR. LAUER: Q The question I want to give you is not whether you recall it happening, the question is, did it happen? Did the officer read any of that information from the DL 26 form? A No, he didn't. Q Did the officer read you your Fifth Amendment rights, Miranda warnings? A No. Q Okay. Did the officer tell you that you were going to lose your license for 12 months or any time? A No. Q If I have it correct then, it wasn't that you didn't refuse, you just said you wanted to talk to a lawyer? 31 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 2S - A Exactly. o At one point though, you said you would sign it, once the officer said, if you didn't sign it, you were going to go to jail? A Yes. o Did you then tell the officer, look, I'll take the test? A Yes, I did. o And his statement was, too late, too bad, something like that? A Yes. o What's a public defender going to do about it? A Exactly. MR. LAUER: THE COURT: MR. KABUSK: THE COURT: That's all the questions I have. Mr. Kabusk. Nothing further. Okay. I think the officer testified that because of the commotion, you were asked to go into some sort of family room, because other patients were being disturbed. Do you recall anything like that? THE WITNESS: No. Once we got in there, he put me-- they just-- he led me into some room, and that's where I stayed the whole time. THE COURT: So you didn't change rooms 32 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 ......, ,.... because of commotion? THE WITNESS: No. THE COURT: Okay. Anything further by counsel? MR. LAUER: No, Your Honor, no questions of this witness. MR. KABUSK: THE COURT: Nothing further. Okay. You may step down. Thank you, MR. LAUER: Judge, the only other evidence we would have, and I don't want to take up too much of the Court's time here today, if the Commonwealth has no objection, is, at the Court's leisure, to look at least at the videotape. The only reason for the videotape is to see what he was wearing, and that's it, which would go to the credibility issue of the officer. THE COURT: Do you have that here? MR. LAUER: That's at the District Attorney's office, Your Honor. THE COURT: Well, I don't mind taking a few moments and doing that, if there's no objection, MR. KABUSK: No objection. THE COURT: Okay. MR. KABUSK: I mean, I don't see the relevance, but I made the objection earlier, and -- 33 ~ ~ 1 THE COURT: Okay. We'll take a short 2 recess. 3 MR. LAUER: Does the Court want me to get 4 that video and bring it up then? 5 THE COURT: I think we'll need to look at it 6 in court, and it will have to be made an exhibit if you 7 want it to be made part of the record. a MR. LAUER: Yes, Your Honor. I'll just run 9 down there and get that. 10 THE COURT: Court is in recess. 11 (Whereupon, a recess was taken at 10:14 a.m, 12 and proceedings reconvened at 10:26 a.m.) 13 MR, LAUER: Your Honor, the angle of the 14 tape, at least from my client's standpoint, does not show 15 that coat. We do have one witness to corroborate my 16 client's testimony. 17 1a THE COURT: All right. MR. LAUER: Mr. Richard Corwin. 19 Whereupon, 20 RICHARD CORWIN 21 having been duly sworn, testified as follows: 22 DIRECT EXAMINATION 23 BY MR. LAUER: 24 Q Mr. Corwin, would you state your name and 25 spell your last name, please? 34 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 '"'" ,..- A Richard Corwin. CoO-RoW-IoN. 0 And you are Rodney's father, correct? A Pardon me? 0 This is your son, Rodney? A Yes, sir. 0 Did you pick your son up at the Booking Center the morning after he was arrested? A Yes, sir. o On the morning he was arrested? A Yes, sir. o Can you tell the Court what type of clothing he had on as far as when you picked him up as far as jacket goes? A He had dark pants, and he had a blue jean jacket. Q Was it the blue jean jacket, just like the one he hall here? A Yes, sir. Q The officer said that, at least his testimony was, he was wearing a black jacket. That was not correct? A No, he did not have a black jacket. MR. LAUER: That's all the questions I have. THE COURT: Okay. Mr. Kabusk. MR. KABUSK: No questions. 35 "' ~ 1 THE COURT: You may step down. Thank you, 2 MR. LAUER: We have no further defense 3 testimony, Your Honor, 4 THE COURT: All right. Mr. Kabusk. 5 MR. KABUSK: Nothing further, Your Honor. 6 THE COURT: We'll enter this order. 7 (Whereupon, the following Order of Court was 8 entered, 9 ORDER OF COURT 10 AND NOW, this 6th day of October, 1999, upon 11 consideration of the Appellant's Appeal of License 12 Suspension at which the issue for determination by the 13 Court was whether the Appellant validly refused to submit 14 to a chemical test, and following a hearing, the record is 15 declared closed, and the matter is taken under advisement. 16 By the Court, 17 /s/ J. Wesley Oler, Jr. J. 18 19 THE COURT: And I'll enter an order later 20 today. 21 MR. LAUER: Thank you, Your Honor. 22 THE COURT: Okay. Thank you. 23 (Whereupon, the proceedings concluded at 24 10:29 a.m.) 25 36 . , ~ '~ ~ ---- r C E R T I F I CAT ION I hereby certify that the proceedings ~&lJeJ- ~_~i~- o<~ wendy . ~ngef ( Offici 1 ourt e rter are contained fully and accurately in the notes taken by me on the above cause and that this is a correct transcript of same. The foregoing record of the proceedings on the hearing of the within matter is hereby approved and directed to be filed. _.QQ~.Ll.9-rl1iL_- Date -~L~-~(zt:L-----._--- [y'wesley ~~, Jr., J. 37